My family and I attend several Orthodox Jewish synagogues for Shabbat services, and do our best to remain in the eruv when we are there for the day.
I'm not SDA, but I am disciple of and believer that Jesus is the Messiah.
The Chabad shuls are usually the most welcoming of outsiders, but often enough if you email or call the rabbi ahead of time, tell them you are a Christian looking to learn what a Jewish synagogue service is like so you can learn more about Judaism, they will more than often or not welcome you and maybe even pair you up with another congregant so you can follow along. You will of course be asked to keep your opinions and beliefs to yourself, as proselytizing is their greatest concern (as it would be if someone from another religion or even denomination came to a church), however potential converts from other religions, most often Christianity do regularly show up so it's not unusual to even find other Christians at various stages of inquiry through to near conversion at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue service, as well as former Christians.
Should SDAs (and other Torah believers in Jesus) attend synagogue services? Yes! It's what the Master would do. Just keep in mind the warning that Jesus gave us that if you are found out to be a proselytizer for his name sake, you may find yourself being asked to leave the synagogue. So out of love for the opportunity to learn, and out of common courtesy for the Jewish community, don't be that person. Be honest with who you are and why you are there, and you will get the most of going and participating as a valued member of the community. Unfortunately some communities have been burned with outright infiltration by those who had ulterior motives, so that's why its usually best to reach out to the rabbi first to at least decide if he's ok with you being there. It's worth it once you are able to build relationships with the rabbis, and they learn that you're not there to disrupt but to learn. Trust me, there will be more than enough opportunities for you to share your beliefs and honest questions vs traditional Judaism, as once people learn who are you are, the questions will come from them - and most often from the rabbis themselves.
The belief that if Christians really love the Torah as Jesus did, that they would be in synagogue on Shabbat, is often a point brought up by counter-missionaries, so when you go against this expectation, it really disarms and generates even more questions. I find it to be a very good exercise in growth, because often Christians learn a lot more in a Jewish synagogue than they would in a typical church.
In fact it was in the synagogues that the Jerusalem Council in Acts made it clear that is where they expected new disciples of the Master to attend.
Just make sure you know what you believe and why before going, since if you're not prepared, you could find yourself in a very tough spot internally and theologically, straddling the fence so to speak, especially if you or others start pressing you about your faith, which is great for you, but not so great for those in your immediate circle who are probably freaked out that you're starting to accept some of the amazing truths (and falsehoods) about your faith you will discover as you go.
To be honest, after years of such attendance, I myself see Christianity and Judaism as the same religion, with Judaism emphasizing on the value of Torah that the Messiah will have, at the expense of his divine mission; and Christians emphasizing the divine mission of the Messiah at the expense of the Torah. Both extreme approaches will have one miss the Messiah by a long shot. That is why I've had to read the Torah for myself, in its Hebrew, to see a lot of what is about the Messiah, his mission, what he does. And since even the Bereans could do so, I am thus still a disciple and believer of the Messiah.
However not everyone should just jump right in to do this. If one is not able to prove their faith and belief in Messiah Jesus, and everything he taught, and everything his disciples taught, from nothing but the Torah itself, then they have nothing to stand on and will be forced intellectually to deal with the consequences of such. But even then, go to synagogue to learn Torah. Perhaps as you do, you will find those very answers as I have.
I'm not SDA, but I am disciple of and believer that Jesus is the Messiah.
The Chabad shuls are usually the most welcoming of outsiders, but often enough if you email or call the rabbi ahead of time, tell them you are a Christian looking to learn what a Jewish synagogue service is like so you can learn more about Judaism, they will more than often or not welcome you and maybe even pair you up with another congregant so you can follow along. You will of course be asked to keep your opinions and beliefs to yourself, as proselytizing is their greatest concern (as it would be if someone from another religion or even denomination came to a church), however potential converts from other religions, most often Christianity do regularly show up so it's not unusual to even find other Christians at various stages of inquiry through to near conversion at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue service, as well as former Christians.
Should SDAs (and other Torah believers in Jesus) attend synagogue services? Yes! It's what the Master would do. Just keep in mind the warning that Jesus gave us that if you are found out to be a proselytizer for his name sake, you may find yourself being asked to leave the synagogue. So out of love for the opportunity to learn, and out of common courtesy for the Jewish community, don't be that person. Be honest with who you are and why you are there, and you will get the most of going and participating as a valued member of the community. Unfortunately some communities have been burned with outright infiltration by those who had ulterior motives, so that's why its usually best to reach out to the rabbi first to at least decide if he's ok with you being there. It's worth it once you are able to build relationships with the rabbis, and they learn that you're not there to disrupt but to learn. Trust me, there will be more than enough opportunities for you to share your beliefs and honest questions vs traditional Judaism, as once people learn who are you are, the questions will come from them - and most often from the rabbis themselves.
The belief that if Christians really love the Torah as Jesus did, that they would be in synagogue on Shabbat, is often a point brought up by counter-missionaries, so when you go against this expectation, it really disarms and generates even more questions. I find it to be a very good exercise in growth, because often Christians learn a lot more in a Jewish synagogue than they would in a typical church.
In fact it was in the synagogues that the Jerusalem Council in Acts made it clear that is where they expected new disciples of the Master to attend.
Just make sure you know what you believe and why before going, since if you're not prepared, you could find yourself in a very tough spot internally and theologically, straddling the fence so to speak, especially if you or others start pressing you about your faith, which is great for you, but not so great for those in your immediate circle who are probably freaked out that you're starting to accept some of the amazing truths (and falsehoods) about your faith you will discover as you go.
To be honest, after years of such attendance, I myself see Christianity and Judaism as the same religion, with Judaism emphasizing on the value of Torah that the Messiah will have, at the expense of his divine mission; and Christians emphasizing the divine mission of the Messiah at the expense of the Torah. Both extreme approaches will have one miss the Messiah by a long shot. That is why I've had to read the Torah for myself, in its Hebrew, to see a lot of what is about the Messiah, his mission, what he does. And since even the Bereans could do so, I am thus still a disciple and believer of the Messiah.
However not everyone should just jump right in to do this. If one is not able to prove their faith and belief in Messiah Jesus, and everything he taught, and everything his disciples taught, from nothing but the Torah itself, then they have nothing to stand on and will be forced intellectually to deal with the consequences of such. But even then, go to synagogue to learn Torah. Perhaps as you do, you will find those very answers as I have.
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