Colossians 2:7,8,16,17 reads, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

NOTE: Only the body of Jesus Christ, the ‘Ekklessia’, is suppose to judge on these matters!

The Hebrew word ‘Ekklessia’ means “the called out”. The Jews and Gentiles that were called out of their sin and rebellion make up the true body of Jesus Christ. There technically is no such thing as The Gentile Church even though man uses this term. Rather it is the Ekklessia or The commonwealth of Israel.

In Acts 2:47, those who were added to the Church were all Jews. We see a mighty revival of Jews who became Hebrew Christians or the Ekklessia. The Ekklessia consists of saved Jews and saved Gentiles, all making up Yeshua’s (Hebrew word for Jesus) Ekklessia. The Church is one organism throughout all time.

The Church (Ekklessia), will be raised at the last trump to enjoy the rewards of their faithfulness and the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were part of the Ekklessia. They did not practice Judaism as the religion did not yet exist. They were the Ekklessia. They followed God, meaning they followed Jesus as all true Ekklessia did who practiced Judaism later. Jews are not automatically the Ekklessia no more than Gentiles who attend church are. You can be apart of Judaism and Christianity as a religion and still be damned, separated, lost, a pagan and heathen (rebel).

God changed Jacob’ s name to Israel (Genesis 32:28; 35:10). He was not in Judaism but he was part of the Ekklessia. Judaism did not begin until after Moses led the children of Isreal out of Egypt by faith (obedience, dependence and trust in the Lord). Then the Lord gave them the Word. Those who obeyed the laws of God from a righteous heart were the Ekklessia. God judges the heart. They were born again and if Jesus was revealed to them during their life time they would have followed Him. As for the church, all who attend church are not the Ekklessia. The scribes and pharisees twisted the Word of God to form a corrupt form of Judaism just as many Pastors have twisted the scriptures (laws) of God to form a corrupt form of Christianity.

The Ekklessia are only those who worship Him in spirit and in truth through a process of sanctification and a contrite heart, not a form of godliness, a hypocritical or self-righteous act.

Many Jews and Christians are not part of the Ekklessia. There is an apostate, divorced church that is as lost and pagan as Judaism. They have separated themselves from their roots (Jeshua-Jesus teachings) and have made their own philosophies and traditions and idols. Only The commonwealth of Israel once again comprised of all those Jews and Gentiles that are truly part of the Ekklessia are born again and make up God’s church.

The word Israel is mentioned 2601 times in the Bible whereas the word Christian is only mentioned twice singularly (1 Peter 4:16 and Acts 26:28) and one time in the plural form (Acts 11:26). Israel is the most often mentioned word after the words God and Lord. God made His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, (God changed Jacob’s name to Israel). Genesis 17:2-7; 26:2-6; 35:9-12; 48:12-20; Ephesians 2:12-20; 3:3.

Genesis 17:2-7 reads, “And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

God told Abraham he would be a father of many nations which today comprise of both Jews and Gentiles which are part of the Ekklessia or The commonwealth of Israel.

Isaiah 51:1-2 reads, “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” God promised Abraham that his seed would be blessed and multiplied “...as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore...and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed...” Genesis 22:16-18; 28:14.

Dominiquae Bierman states, “The Hebrew word for seed is Zerah. Zerah can only be natural, like in the male sperm or the seed of a plant. So when the Lord sowed Ephraim among the nations, he sowed natural seed of Abraham that multiplied and became ‘The Fullness of the Gentiles’.”

Romans 11:13-23 reads, “...For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office...And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in...And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.”

The commonwealth of Israel is made up of both Jew and Gentile who keep His commandments. John 15:1-11; Romans 11:22.

THE CHURCH HAS DIVORCED ITSELF FROM ITS ROOTS—WE MUST GET BACK TO OUR ROOTS!

Jeremiah 31:31-33 states, “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake...But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of ISRAEL; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts...”

Ephesians 5:26 then states, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Our salvation is based on grace through faith. The law cannot save us. But, when we become born again (Ekklesia), a process called sanctification starts. This is where the Lord begins writing the law in our hearts by His word and spirit. We are suppose to transform our minds...by the word of God.

Which word is the Scriptures talking about? The Old Testament since it was all the disciples had. For over 300 years the Ekklesia (Church), had only the Old Testament Scriptures to develop them since the New Testament was not canonized.

The Scriptures used to be one book. It was the divorced church that gave it the title Old and New Testament.

2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

The Hebrew word Torah means instruction and that is what 2 Timothy 3:16 is saying. The Torah which is known as the law is instruction in righteousness. Romans 8:4, “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.”

NOTE: “ALL SCRIPTURE” means “ALL SCRIPTURE”, so let us examine “ALL SCRIPTURE” meaning the reality of Prophets, Apostles, gifts of the Holy Spirit such as working of miracles and healings etc. so that the Church can be made perfect and effective for the battle and commission Jesus gave us when He left.

Our salvation does not depend on keeping the dietary laws and laws concerning the sabbath, but our health does!

Hosea 4:6 tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.”

Breaking the laws of God even out of ignorance causes harm to us physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually!

PLEASE, THIS TEACHING SHOULD NOT CAUSE DIVISION BUT APPRECIATION AND HEALTH. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO ADHERE TO IT THAT IS YOUR PREROGATIVE. AGAIN YOUR SALVATION DOES NOT DEPEND ON OBEYING IT. IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN IN IGNORANCE, BUT ARE REALLY BORN AGAIN, YOU WILL STILL SEE HEAVEN AND YOUR SPIRIT WILL LEAVE YOUR BODY SOONER!

1 Timothy 4:4-5 tells us, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

It is sanctified by the word and prayer, not just prayer! So what does the word of God say concerning what we eat?

Genesis 7:2 tells us what is fit for human consumption, “Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.”

THE DIETARY LAWS or INSTRUCTIONS, are found in Leviticus chapter 11.

Nutritional Laws which are given from the Lord are critical for health. Scripture tells us that God writes His laws on our hearts. This is why it is so important to “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

We are suppose to study and understand the Scriptures for our salvation, health, marriage and happiness. I am convinced that most Christians have been taught incorrectly in most churches and they themselves have not personally, adequately studied the Scriptures to know the truth so consequently they remain in their sins. They remain in their sickness and depression or develop it for this reason. John 8:32 reads, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

REMEMBER: TEACHING ON THIS SHOULD NOT CAUSE CHRISTIANS TO SEPARATE ONE FROM ANOTHER. ONLY PRIDE AND SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS ON EITHER SIDE OF TRUTH CAN CAUSE STRIFE: AGAIN, IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO ACCEPT THIS TRUTH REMAIN AS YOU ARE AND WE WILL REMAIN IN HARMONY. IF YOU WANT A HIGHER ANOINTING TO COME UPON YOU WITH BETTER HEALTH AND HAPPINESS THAN RECEIVE TRUTH.

Shell fish, lobster, crab, shrimp etc. is not fit for human consumption.

They were not created to be eaten; that is why they came into the ark two by two instead of seven by seven. These creatures are the vacuum cleaners of the ocean and for this reason they are prone to give people many diseases.

The meat called pork was not created for human consumption and is dangerous for humans to eat. The pig has no sweat glands, therefore, it rolls in the mud to cool itself and eats garbage. The pig cannot get rid of its poisons consequently it is harmful for people to eat its meat. Professional chefs know that if you boil pork for too long, all the poisons trapped within the pork will come to the surface. Nutritionists know pork and all its derivatives are extremely dangerous to a person’s health (arteries) in a multitude of ways because of its high fat content.

When the “black plagues” swept through Europe, many people were dying. The Jews were the only ones who were still healthy because they obeyed the dietary laws written in Leviticus 11.

Another health law by God that is largely ignored and violated under our false understanding of “freedom” is the “Nida Law”. Leviticus 15:19, “And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until even.” In other words, husbands are not to have sex with their wives for seven days from the beginning of her menstruation. It is a medical fact that Jewish women who keep this warning of God do not seem to get cervical cancer while other women suffer from cancer in the cervix. Also, medically it is documented that women need to let their uterus and vagina rest at the time of their menstruation. When they ignore the “Nida Law”, and have intercourse during those seven days many of them will one day suffer miscarriages & loose the baby they are carrying!

Dominiquae Bierman; Director of KadEsh MAP Ministries International and affiliated with Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International wrote in his book, The Healing Power of the Roots pgs 31-33, “I was leading a prayer meeting for women at one time and as the Holy Spirit was moving greatly in our midst many physical and emotional healings were happening. A young lady in her 30’s came to the meeting for the first time and asked me to pray for her. She was suffering from heart problems and was taking much medication. I took one look at her and asked her one question: ‘Do you keep the Shabbat, (Sabbath)?’ ‘Shabbat’ means, to go on strike and stop all regular work. To which she answered; ‘Of course I do not keep the Shabbat. I am a student and I am in need of money for my studies, so I work seven days a week!’ I just said to her, ‘Repent before God for breaking the Shabbat and you will be healed!’ Before I finished the sentence, she was on the floor weeping and crying for violating His loving laws and instructions to us, His creation. She got thoroughly healed and did not have to take any more heart medication.

Dear friends, ignoring the Law does not make it go away. There are consequences to our ignorance. It causes us to die for lack of knowledge. It is likened unto a person deciding to defy the law of gravity...In order to prove a point, he would go to the roof of a tall building and jump down by faith. Guess what would be the outcome? He of course would crash and most likely die. That is what the divorce from our Jewish/Biblical roots does. We are constantly defying the laws of the Lord because of ignorance and misinterpretation. Our faith becomes presumption instead of solid faith based on His Word. I am a firm believer that the only way to please the Father is to be led by the Spirit, to be totally under the control and guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is the way that Yeshua (Jesus) walked and that is the only way to live an abundant life. Trying to keep the Law by our own strength is futile, but the opposite of that is allowing the Holy Spirit to write the Law in our hearts. Paul says... ‘That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but according to the spirit.’ (Romans 8: 4)

Let’s say that you are a missionary, and were trained to eat everything that is set before you. How ready would you be to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit if He would lead you to eat only clean animals? Wouldn’t you fight against a spirit of legalism that is trying to possess you? And yet it would have been God’s Spirit. It is interesting to know that when people accept the Lord and have no teaching from prevalent church doctrines, they often have a very wholesome understanding of the Law.”

We are not led by the law but by grace. We are not under ‘Judaism’, which according to The New Nave’s Topical Bible is “a corrupt form of Christianity”. We are not under the Apostate Church. We are suppose to be followers of Jesus Christ by Faith which is an act of grace so none can boast. We are suppose to be part of the Ekklessia–the commonwealth of Israel– God’s true Bride of Chris, the Church).

Once again, your salvation does not depend on what foods you eat, but breaking God’s Word as with the law of gravity has its consequences.

Even if it is broken out of ignorance as a baby touching a hot stove, our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being is effected.

FELLOW BELIEVERS, GOD MADE OUR BODIES AND GAVE US DIRECTION ON HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEM SO THEY ENDURE AND LAST A LIFE TIME (Job 5: 17-26; Psalms 90:10). WE DO NOT HAVE GLORIFIED BODIES YET. IT WOULD BE RIDICULOUS TO SAY NOW THAT WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, THEREFORE, WE DO NOT HAVE TO WORK OR CUT THE LAWN OR PUT ON WARM CLOTHES IN THE WINTER OR WRAP A CUT ETC. IT IS JUST AS RIDICULOUS TO SAY IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT FOOD WE EAT OR IF WE REST PROPERLY ETC. OUR ETERNAL SALVATION IS NOT THE ISSUE SINCE WE ARE UNDER GRACE, BUT OUR HEALTH IS CERTAINLY THE ISSUE.

PLEASE DO NOT LET THE ENEMY CONFUSE YOU—SEPARATE YOU—OR MAKE YOU SICK NEEDLESSLY.

BLESSINGS AND SHALOM

© 2000 World Ministries International