Certainly not! Neither does it involve judaising, or restrictions or legalism. Believe it or not ... it is actually the opposite! It is about FREEDOM. Here's an excerpt from a testimony by a delegate from our first conference that featured principles of Hebraic Church: "One of the greatest things about the conference was the FREEDOM.  Freedom in worship; freedom to dance, freedom to preach, freedom to sing, freedom to pray, freedom to draw, freedom to be quiet, freedom to read, freedom to argue (yeshiva!), freedom to love, freedom in fellowship. And for me the Lord has used this conference to spill this freedom over into my every day walk with Him".

I had entered a minefield because what God was revealing to me was that being Hebraic was an internal condition of the mind, rather than the external trappings of Jewish culture. This has placed me at odds with mainstream Hebraic expressions, particularly those that have crossed the ocean from our American friends. I have become firmly convinced that the Hebraic element that surely must find its eventual expression in the One New Man of Ephesians 2:11-18, is a mindset rather than a set of practices, however Biblical they may be. This is not to say that there is anything wrong with keeping Sabbath, the feasts and the Torah, but it should always be with Romans 14 in mind, when considering the rest of God’s people. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. (Romans 14:10-13)

Being Hebraic is to admit that one is on a journey and not at a destination. It’s a tricky journey as history, culture and religion acts against us, embedded as they are in the Greek mindset, a way of thinking borne out of the mind of man rather than the Heart of God. I am pleased to say that this is very much a shared journey, you are not (necessarily) reading the ramblings of a self-deluded lunatic. There is a growing band of other “lunatics” who are adding to this debate, focussed on the Foundations ministry that is slowly growing in its own quiet way.

There are some very important questions that we are now starting to ask. One of them is the issue of Israel and the Jews. We are convinced that it is a far more central issue than the Church realises (or accepts), involving the sacredness of God’s covenants with His people. It is not a fringe issue, as many believe and the Church lies helplessly strangled by the promises and threats of Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;” Those who consider themselves on a “Hebraic path” should treat this as a serious matter and, despite the baggage and ignorance of the mainstream Church on these matters, should seek to be positive agents of change. It is a better witness to the Church (and arguably to unsaved Jews too) to find ways to communicate Hebraic understandings sensitively and relevantly, rather than from the refuge of the congregational ghettos we have constructed for ourselves. Yes, we know they don’t get us, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to open their minds.

Being Hebraic is to bring God back to the centre of His church. It is to accept Jesus in his culturally Jewish setting. It is to read the Bible as God’s gift of life to us, His primary means of communication to us and not a conduit of our own thoughts and ideas. It is to accept and seek to correct the past and present errors made by the Church in regards to the Jewish people. It is also to bring joy, life, hope and certainty back into the Church and to each member of it. It is to value each individual believer and accept that God has a unique plan for all of us and that the main stumbling block for most of us discovering this purpose are the Greek structures that infest the Church itself. Being Hebraic is to seek God, rather than find out what others tell us about God. It is about doing stuff rather than learning about stuff. It’s about being a good witness, walking the walk rather than talking the talk. It’s about being real, about living in man’s kingdom as a fully paid up member of God’s kingdom.

This is not a comfortable place to be because those old leaking wineskins are still embedded in our Christian landscape. This is not something new and trendy, it is the oldest thing of all. It is the mindset of those earliest Jewish believers as they met in houses and enjoyed unfettered freedoms, hope and joy. It is also the mindset of Adam before the Fall, when he had full communion with God and wasn’t separated from Him by the need for wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Being Hebraic is to think like the first Century Jewish disciples, rather than acting like twenty first Century Jews. It is the most exciting way to live out your faith. Honest!

This short article was prompted by a question emailed by a lady who had just returned from our latest Foundations conference. She was wondering why we did not acknowledge the Sabbath as she expected us to. This was a good question and my answer is tied up in our ministry aim to communicate Hebraic understandings to the wider Church, but - IMPORTANTLY - to cover all aspects of Christian doctrine and living.