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Our Calling:
Our Vision:
Our Mission: We are a Messiah following Jewish community which seeks to pass on a Messianic Jewish faith and worship tradition to future generations of Jewish and Gentile followers of Yeshua the King Messiah. We are unashamedly a Messiah essential community. Our Practice:
Our Founder: Our founder and spiritual leader Yaakov Ben Yehoshua (Brown) spent seven years under the tutelage of Rabbi Michael Terret of B'nai Chayim, our sister congregation in Alberta, Canada. During that time Yaakov Brown chanted the Torah prayer service as chazan, expounded Dvar Torah and studied in the B'nai Chayim Yeshivah at the feet of Rebbe Michael ben Yochanan. Yaakov Ben Yehoshua Brown is a descendant of the Israel and Isaacs families, some of Aotearoa, New Zealand's first Jewish immigrants, founding members of the Sha'arei Tikvah synagogue in Auckland during the mid-eighteen hundreds, and later members of Beth Israel (now Auckland Hebrew Congregation). Yaakov Brown's family continue to seek to perpetuate a Messianic Jewish tradition for future generations. A tradition that acknowledges and advocates for the authenticity of the promised, present and coming Jewish Messiah Yeshua Ha-Mashiyach. https://www.bethmelekh.com/yaakov-ben-yehoshua-a-concise-life-story.html Our Servant Leadership Community: Aotearoa, NZ Kehilah:
www.bethmelekh.com https://www.facebook.com/bethmelekhnz Our Long Island, NY, USA Kehilah:
https://www.bethmelekh.com/beth-melekh-ny.html https://www.facebook.com/BethmelekhNY/ Our Sister Community: B’nai Chayim (Children of Life) congregation Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. B’nai Chayim is a Messianic Jewish congregation of Jews and Gentile followers of the King Messiah Yeshua that acknowledges Yeshua as the promised Messiah of Israel and explores His fulfilment of Torah in a Jewish lifestyle: seeking to bridge the gap between Jewish and Christian communities. B’nai Chayim is led by Rav Michael Ben Yochanan (Mike Terret) and his wife Patricia Terret. www.bnaichayim.com Finance:
*NZ Charity Commission guidelines require us to issue receipts for money collected between January and December. However, receipts for charitable donations may be kept for up to 2 years and claimed against income for tax purposes according to the NZ financial year. Our Core Values:
“Stand firm therefore, in the freedom for which Messiah has made us free, and do not become entangled again in the yoke of slavery to bondage.” -Galatians 5:1 We Refute Popular Falsehoods Within the Messianic Movement: An idolatrous focus on “Law Keeping” has become a prolific problem within the Messianic movement. As one example of many a prominent “Messianic” Twitter account posted: “The Torah is the heart of the Messianic Movement” This is an idolatrous statement that gives God’s written word (Ketuvim) pre-eminence at the expense of God’s grace and is in direct opposition to the Living Word (Davar), Yeshua. Yeshua is the heart of the Messianic movement. The Torah points to Him. Torah observance is not the goal, the goal is Yeshua. We advise all not to forsake freedom in Messiah in order to seek approval in the empty promises of Torah observance. Those who break the spirit of Torah in order to keep the letter of Torah are Torah breakers. The Latest Manifestation of the Ancient Lie Concerning Torah Observance: Within the modern “Messianic” movement (predominantly among Gentile “Messianics”), the lie concerning Torah Observance has taken on a subtle but equally blasphemous new twist. It has become popular to say “Obeying Torah is the fruit of salvation”. Those who teach the lie "Obeying Torah is the fruit of salvation" mis qualify both Torah and salvation. "Messiah is the goal of Torah" unto works of righteousness. Torah observance is not the goal, nor is it the end, or fruit of Messiah. If it were, Messiah would be subject to Torah, but instead He is the Author and Goal, and therefore, the fruit producer of it. It is not Torah observance that is the fruit of the redeemed but right action (righteousness). Ezekiel 36:26-27 explains that by the Spirit of Life (Holy Spirit) in Messiah Yeshua (Rom.8:2), we are empowered to act according to His (YHVH) prescribed (בקרבכם) [b’kirbechem] way of living and according to His judgements (משפטי) [mishpatay]. Torah is not mentioned. Why? Because observance of the Torah of Moses is not the goal, or end, nor is it the fruit of salvation. Thus, we are "set free from the Torah of sin and death (the result of a failure to observe the unkeepable Mosaic Torah)" [Rom.8:2]. This is Messiah essential living 101. Those who teach otherwise are grievers of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) and are in opposition to Scripture. Rav (rabbi) Kefa (Peter) explains that no one can "bear" the "burden" of Torah observance (Acts 15:10). The early Jewish Fathers of the body of faith along with Peter, agreed that therefore Gentile believers should not be taught Torah observance but to simply refrain from all forms of idolatry in accordance with the universal moral commandments of God (10 commandments minus Shabbat, which is a sign on ethnic Israel, the Jews [Ex.31:16-17]). Peter said this as a Spirit filled Messiah follower, not as an unsaved pre-Messianic Jew. This message of Peter and the early Jewish Fathers of the Body was sent to the Gentile believers as a halakhic (practical application) for walking in fruitfulness. Therefore, Peter and the early Jewish Fathers of the Body of believers agree that Torah observance is not the fruit of salvation. To the contrary, Messiah in us bears the fruit of righteousness, something over which the Torah of Moses has no dominion. We add to this the teaching of Yeshua (Jesus), Rav Shaul (Paul the Apostle), and the Kohen (Priest) who wrote the Book to the Hebrews: Rom. 3:20; 4:14; 4:15; 5:20; 6:14; 7:1-13; 8:2-3, 1 Cor. 15:56, 2 Cor. 3:7; 3:9; 3:10; 3:12; 3:14-17, Gal. 2:16; 2:19; 2:21; 3:1;3:10; 3:11-12; 3:13; 3:16 & 19, (ref. Matt. 11:12-13, Luke 16:16), Gal. 3:21; 3:23; 4:24; Eph. 2:15, Philp. 3:4-8; 1 Tim. 1:8-10 (Torah was given to expose the unrighteous, and not in order to bring the righteous under the bondage of a lifestyle based on law keeping.); Heb. 7:18-19; 8:7-8; 8:13; 10:1. By the Holy Spirit Rav Shaul HaShaliach writes: “8But we know that the Torah is good if one uses it legitimately, 9 knowing that the Torah is not given for a tzaddik (righteous person) but for the lawless and rebellious (persons), for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and worldly, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,10 the sexually immoral, practitioners of homosexuality, slave-traders, liars, perjurers, and for anything else that opposes sound teaching.” -1 Timothy 8-10 So we see that Torah was given to expose the unrighteous, and not in order to bring the righteous under the bondage of a lifestyle based on law keeping. Are we who are saved unrighteous? The Scripture says we are new creations made righteous through Yeshua, the old (unlawful) person we were has gone, the new person in Messiah has come (2 Cor. 5:17). Therefore, Torah used legitimately or properly (lawfully) means to understand Torah as pointing to the Goal of Torah. Yeshua the King Messiah. Improper, illegitimate or unlawful use of Torah seeks to make Torah observance the goal or outcome of salvation. Given that Salvation Himself Yeshua is the lawful Goal of Torah, to improperly use Him as a means to return a believer’s focus to Torah observance is abhorrent, ungodly, apostate. As the scripture says, it “opposes sound teaching”. It is wrong to say that Torah is done away with, it is equally wrong to say that Torah observance is the goal, end, fruit or otherwise. When using "Torah" as a proper noun we speak in general terms that lack the nuisance of the wider definition. This is why the writers of the HaBrit HaChadashah (NT) often use qualifying terms in relationship to Torah (Instruction). Freedom and Torah: Only a fool considers a book to be more important than its author. Without the author there is no book. Nor can a book ever be properly understood devoid of the author’s insight. Far too many well-meaning Gentile Christians, have chosen to hold the title Christian in disdain, calling themselves “Messianics” they are making the Torah their focus and are losing sight of the Goal of Torah, Yeshua the King Messiah. Or worse, are submitting Yeshua to Torah observance. By making Torah observance their goal they are practicing one of the worst forms of idolatry and walking a path of bondage. Does this mean we forsake Torah, of course not. We are guided by it as the Instruction of God. However, in Messiah we are motivated by grace and not by obligation. Torah observance is us seeking to connect with God through obligatory action. Freedom in Messiah is God in us (Yeshua) directing our actions. In Messiah we are free to do anything, except that which returns us to bondage. “For Messiah is the Goal of the Torah (Instruction) for righteousness to everyone that believes.” -Romans 10:4 Notice that Messiah is the goal and the fruit of Messiah is righteousness (not Torah observance). Have you become preoccupied with the keeping of rules? Repent, and instead, allow the Messiah to keep you. Unity of the Word: We seek the Goal of the Torah, Yeshua, and to live Messiah essential lives in Him (Rom. 10:4). Therefore, our study of Scripture is not an exercise in intellectual scholarship. Rather, it is an opportunity for us to ask God to unify our understanding of the written and Living Word, through the Spirit of His Son, the Ruach HaKodesh, Who lives in us because we have accepted and opened the free gift of Yeshua’s redeeming sacrifice and life giving resurrection. No ancient work can be properly understood outside of its historical, literal, literary, cultural and spiritual context. Therefore, we submit ourselves to the teaching of the greatest of rabbis, Yeshua HaRav our King Messiah, and utilize the relevant guidelines of sound Jewish interpretation. We see value in the rabbinic method PaRDeS, however, it is Yeshua’s teaching we seek above all else. Therefore, we reject any aspect of rabbinic teaching that contradicts Yeshua’s teaching. “Faith without action is dead” -Yaakov (James) 2:14 Prior to the Hellenistic period (321-331 BCE) there was no word in the Hebrew language for “Theology”*. *for ref. see the New Encyclopaedia of Judaism This is because emunah (faith/trust) and halakhah (right action) are intrinsically linked in the Hebraic view. Through Aggadah (telling) we tell of God’s work and in telling we employ Halakhah (the way we walk) and walk in His path everlasting. Symbolism and Tradition: We use Jewish symbols and tradition in our worship as visual aids and in order to perpetuate a Messianic Jewish tradition for our children’s children. Our policy regarding tradition is simple: we accept any symbolism and tradition that directs us toward Yeshua unto God, while rejecting any symbolism and tradition that causes us to take our eyes off Yeshua. Jew and Gentile: With regard to salvation through Yeshua there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. We have become echad (a complex unity). However, with regard to ethnicity and religious observance there is a clear distinction between Jew and Gentile, a distinction that should not be compromised. The Jew and the Gentile each have a unique role to play in the outworking of God’s kingdom. Culture: We see great beauty and uniqueness in our Jewish culture, however, we worship God, not culture, all culture must submit to the authority and holiness of God. We uphold that which honours God and reject that which is of the yetzer hara (fallen nature). Culture and Identity: We believe that the physical and spiritual markers of Jewish identity belong to the Jews. We encourage you to honour and pursue all that is godly within your own culture and to participate in those aspects of godly Jewish culture that are for everyone, but do not seek to usurp of appropriate Jewish identity or pretend to be someone you are not. This is contrary to the freedom of Messiah. You were born into your own tribe and culture for the purposes of God. Do not despise your God given ethnic identity. “Stand firm therefore, in the freedom for which Messiah has made us free, and do not become entangled again in the yoke of slavery to bondage.” -Galatians 5:1 Recent Themes of the Beth Melekh Community: 2018 – Chofesh (Freedom) 2019 – Echad/Yachad (Unity) 2020 – Simchah (Transcendent Joy) 2021 – Kaparah (Reconciliation) 2022 – Leiv tahor (A heart that is Pure) Our Faith Statement: https://www.bethmelekh.com/faith-statement.html Copyright 2022 Yaakov Brown Comments are closed.
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Yaakov BrownFounder of the Beth Melekh International Messiah Following Jewish Community, 
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