The Feasts of The Lord

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

My church actually takes part in celebrating the feasts outlined in Leviticus 23.

Of course we celebrate them with Jesus in mind.

The Feast of Trumpets we celebrate because to us its all about Jesus coming again.

We celebrate the Day of Atonement to celebrate the fact that Jesus is the High Priest and the Sacrificial Lamb. Through Him there is full Atonement.

Finally, we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles because God came to be with the Israelites in the desert and temple, Jesus came and dwelt among us, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and finally at the end God Himself will dwell with us.

What do you guys think? Does anyone else celebrate the feasts in this way?

 

[jiminpa]

I love it. I don't celebrate the feasts even though I know they reveal God's heart and character. It's just hard to do outside of community, since they were designed to be done as a community. I don't know anyone in my area who does celebrate the feasts.

I have been part of a church that became Messianic, and did celebrate the feasts. Their Sukkot celebration was great. The church rented a retreat center for the week just far enough away to be give the sense of getting away, and anyone who could and wanted to do so participated. There was no coercion to participate, but anyone who missed the first year soon heard about what they missed out on when everyone who did go got back. And yes, God honored the promise to meet us in the sukkah, as well as a great time of community. The only scheduled activities all week were the building of the sukka and a final meeting in it at the end of the week, and meals based on the facility's schedule. Everything else was free time.

 

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

I love it. I don't celebrate the feasts even though I know they reveal God's heart and character. It's just hard to do outside of community, since they were designed to be done as a community. I don't know anyone in my area who does celebrate the feasts.

I have been part of a church that became Messianic, and did celebrate the feasts. Their Sukkot celebration was great. The church rented a retreat center for the week just far enough away to be give the sense of getting away, and anyone who could and wanted to do so participated. There was no coercion to participate, but anyone who missed the first year soon heard about what they missed out on when everyone who did go got back. And yes, God honored the promise to meet us in the sukkah, as well as a great time of community. The only scheduled activities all week were the building of the sukka and a final meeting in it at the end of the week, and meals based on the facility's schedule. Everything else was free time.

Sounds fantastic! Our church had something similar. The first day of Sukkot we had worship, testimonies and food under a shelter.

The rest was mostly spent at a camp similar to what you described but the time was mostly spent on worship, prayer, sermons and more worship. The last night was a fun night with games.

Feast of Atonement we usually have activities that highlight the cost of sin, what the Isralites used to have to do and what Jesus did to fully atone for our sin.

Feast of Trumpets is always epic. One year we walked into the church (we call it the Shed) and heard sirens. There was smoke everywhere and there was a car in the middle of the room with a bike and tree branches against it. Empty clothes were everywhere laid out like the person in them had just vanished. People were walking around confused and asking if we had seen their loved ones. It was crazy!

We certainly don't hold back!

 

[cyberlizard]

i wrote a book on the very subject which you can download for free and in full at:

http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/Sabbath-to-Sukkot-Rest-to-Restoration
Sabbath to Sukkot: Rest to Restoration

or even on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SabbathToSukkot



Steve

 

[PrincessBrideOfChrist]

i wrote a book on the very subject which you can download for free and in full at:

Sabbath to Sukkot: Rest to Restoration, by Steven A. Holmes
Sabbath to Sukkot: Rest to Restoration

or even on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SabbathToSukkot



Steve

Cool! I'm gonna check it out!

 

[tturt]

Our church doesn't but my dh and I celebrate the feasts and Cyberlizard has helped us learn about them.

 

[Frogster]

People are welcome to celebrate whatever they want, the shadows, as scripture calls them.

But to me, as children of Abraham, who did not have the feasts, we have something better, and don't need to look to feasts, instead we are to know the risen Christ, so the feasts to me are often compensatory in nature when they are promoted, because those in the messianic movement stress judaism for the churches.


Paul in Galatians said that he thought he wasted his time on them, when they started to observe the jewish calendar, becaus ehe understood in 5:9, that leaven creeps in.

Gal 4:10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.


Paul used Abraham to ward of these things from the churches.

 

[Frogster]

Paul stressed the Gospel as what the church needs to stay in, walk in the faith, stay in the faith.


Col 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Walk in the same maner, by faith.


Col 2;6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

As he then warned them about all these additions that people always want to add on to the church, and feasts, and Sabbath were a part of the things not to bother with.


Col 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

It's just the flesh, always under some noble guise to want to add these things on, because the promotors of the doctrine, don't want to promote the risen Christ, they want Judaism, externals, elementals as Scripture calls it in Gal 4:3, crude notions.


We are sons of Abrham by faith, like Abraham, who did not have feasts, or tallits, or food laws for a reason.

 

[cyberlizard]

People are welcome to celebrate whatever they want, the shadows, as scripture calls them.

this is indeed true to the very same extent as Christmas and Easter - they are shadows as well, the reality is Christ.

Will Frogster encourage us all to no longer celebrate these as well and remain consistent with his own logic, or has he long since stopped celebrating such things?


Steve

p.s. I think my book is quite balanced on the whole subject and presents both sides of the argument without falling into conventional rhetorical disagreements which often cloud the subject matter.

 

[Frogster]

this is indeed true to the very same extent as Christmas and Easter - they are shadows as well, the reality is Christ.

Will Frogster encourage us all to no longer celebrate these as well and remain consistent with his own logic, or has he long since stopped celebrating such things?


Steve

p.s. I think my book is quite balanced on the whole subject and presents both sides of the argument without falling into conventional rhetorical disagreements which often cloud the subject matter.

I said people are wlecome to celebrate whatever, but the there is a reason, it is called messianic judaism.

the feasts, the sabbath, food restrictions etc, were never given to the gentiles, so why add them now?

 

[cyberlizard]

what's called Messianic Judaism?


Steve

 

[Frogster]

the movement that promotes judaism for the churches.

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

the feasts, the sabbath, food restrictions etc, were never given to the gentiles, so why add them now?

...and they were welcome to make it part of their lifestyle when they so chose. So why try to take it away from them now?

 

[Frogster]

who is taking? i am just showing what scripture says, they were given to the jews, and there is a reason paul warded judaism off the churches, using Abraham.

Why do you think scripture warded off this stuff for the churches?

 

[Frogster]

actually the taking is from this teaching, because instead of imparting all the riches of Christ, and his power in us, they make people look backwards in salvation history. Paul said I want to know his resurrection in Phil 3, his power, that is the goal, not shadow distractions.

 

[cyberlizard]

same with Christmas... looking back to the past.

should we celebrate this shadow?

yes / no?



Steve

p.s. I say if people find traditions enriching and helpful then all well and good. If they are pointing people further to Messiah even better. The Feasts are not an end in themselves, but even Jesus kept them and Paul instructed the Corinthians to keep Passover (and this was a mixed congregation).

 

[Frogster]

same with Christmas... looking back to the past.

should we celebrate this shadow?

yes / no?



Steve

p.s. I say if people find traditions enriching and helpful then all well and good. If they are pointing people further to Messiah even better. The Feasts are not an end in themselves, but even Jesus kept them and Paul instructed the Corinthians to keep Passover (and this was a mixed congregation).

again, i lay no law, but u are not rebutting the text i posted, but yes, people can celebrate holloween also.

yes, people can keep the chinese new year also, but there is a reason that paul fought off judaism being added to the churches.

why did he say a little leaven in 5:9 of Galatians? What did the Spirit in him see and sense was behind all this?

 

[cyberlizard]

... keep the feast (1 Corinthians)...

which feast is Paul referring to?


Steve

 

[ByronArn]

My church actually takes part in celebrating the feasts outlined in Leviticus 23.

Of course we celebrate them with Jesus in mind.

The Feast of Trumpets we celebrate because to us its all about Jesus coming again.

We celebrate the Day of Atonement to celebrate the fact that Jesus is the High Priest and the Sacrificial Lamb. Through Him there is full Atonement.

Finally, we celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles because God came to be with the Israelites in the desert and temple, Jesus came and dwelt among us, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and finally at the end God Himself will dwell with us.

What do you guys think? Does anyone else celebrate the feasts in this way?

My (gentile) family joined the Messianic faith in my early teens, so my teen years were spent keeping these feasts, shunning "unclean meats", and wearing my tzitizyot. In my humble opinion, keeping these feasts are looking back to the past before Christ came, taking upon ourselves the yoke of a law meant only for the Children of Israel, never for gentiles. The feasts were meant to point the Jews to the Messiah, not yoke gentiles to the Sinai Covenant.

For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (James 2:10 WEB)

For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.” (Gal 3:10)

 

[Frogster]

... keep the feast (1 Corinthians)...

which feast is Paul referring to?


Steve

it wasn't literal, or they would have to be circumcised, and go to temple, and also that would give the judaizers who were in corinth way tooo much ammo to use against paul so lets not overpress that verse.

Besides, Paul said waste of time when they started to get under the jewish calendar in Gal 4:10-11, and then we have col 2, way to much text, to try to prooftext Paul's theology on a whole with that one verse.