Here's how it happens: You believe Yeshua is the Messiah our people have been waiting for all this time. Maybe a few people in your life know, maybe some, maybe none.
It's different for everyone.
You've read online, watched videos, and searched the Tanakh and B'rit Hadashah for truth and resources, but now you're ready to see what the community of Jewish believers is all about.
I wish someone had prepared me for the first time I walked into a messianic congregation. It would have saved me a lot of confusion and frankly, heartache.
The first thing to know is that there are a few different types of messianic congregations:
Messianic Churches
These are churches with members who are mostly, if not 100% Christian. They are appreciate the role of the Torah in Christianity and bring the feasts, holy days, and Hebrew into their lives to different degrees. They love Israel and the Jewish people. They often have flags and do types of Israeli dances, maybe even during services. Their culture is very lively.
Torah-observant Groups
These groups are mostly Christian also, in my experience. They are made of Christians who are more strict concerning Torah than Messianic Churches are. They meet on Shabbat, rather than Sunday, keep kosher, keep the festivals and may even wear titzit. Some of the women in these groups wear titzit as they believe the command is for all of Israel. They do not lay teffilin as they believe the commandment is a metaphor. They reject the aspects of Judaism that are tradition based rather than Torah based, such as kippot, and can be vehement to some degree about it. The culture can be intense.
Messianic Synagogues
Messianic synagogues are led by a messianic Jewish rabbi or a Christian rabbi very learned in Hebrew and Jewish teachings. A new Jewish believer is going to feel most at home in this setting if they come from an observant community or background. There are many messianic synagogues all around the world. Their services are very familiar and often follow the cadence of a mainstream synagogue with the addition of the recognition of Yeshua as the Messiah. This is where you are mostly likely to find Jewish people in attendance who grew up in the community.
All this said, where a new Jewish believer, or a seasoned one, feels most at home is going to depend on their background and personal convictions.
The first messianic congregation I ever visited as a Jewish person who did not have a relationship with Yeshua at all was a messianic church. I went with an older family member who did not believe in Yeshua at all and was very suspicious of the whole idea. We were curious and found it online.
It went very badly as the church put their spin on many traditional Jewish prayers, mispronounced words, and overall, it came off to us at the time like Christians playing with Jewish things.
Going there today, I would appreciate hard these believers were trying to incorporate Hebrew and that they were inquisitive about our ways. Today I would see them as family in Yeshua. But at the time I was cynical toward these people I did not understand, very offended, and in my heart held many things against Christians. I had for years. I never went again.
Months later, I tried again and went to a Messianic synagogue run by a rabbi who had grown up Jewish all his life and found Yeshua in his twenties. His strong connection to Judaism made us fast friends and I felt at home. The liturgy was familiar and brought tears to my eyes.
The cantor was a Jewish believer with strong ties to the community. The shul was in a Jewish area and mistrusted by the locals but ignored. Most of the members were Jewish. I felt at home and went for months and am still in awe of how these members navigated their faith and their lives in a community that did not understand them anymore.
Interestingly enough, at that time I was a believer theologically in a sense, but not in heart.
During that time, my ties to the Jewish community and being accepted by my community were more important to me than who Yeshua could be. I was not ready to potentially leave it all behind and join this band of people who had become outsiders because of their belief.
I went back to the mainstream Jewish community eventually and it wasn't until years later that I gave my life to Yeshua and truly believed He was not only the Messiah of the world but my personal Messiah as well. When I experienced the power and love of Yeshua during an unforgettable encounter, I knew He was worth risking it all for. The truth became more important than who accepted me.
My advice when it comes to finding a spiritual home is to visit multiple places and pray. At the end of the day, He has a plan that would best suit you. It might not be what you envision, or it might. He knows what you need.
Ask Hashem where He would have you and to build your emunah, your faith. Ask Yeshua to reveal Himself to you. One of the hardest parts for me even after becoming a believer was feeling on the outside of the only community I had. It's not a new issue, as we know from Yochanan 12. That is tough, I will not lie. But it gets easier and the family you make in Yeshua can be a huge blessing.
Ask Hashem to build your emunah, faith. Be honest with Him about it all. Ask Yeshua to revel Himself to you and to show you His plan for your life inside of the messianic community.
Stay in fervent prayer and take your time making a decision. My biggest mistake was thinking everyone at every congregation was a "holy angel" of a human being because they knew Yeshua. Everyone you encounter will be human. People make mistakes, they say the wrong things, or do the wrong things.
Try to remember the grace Yeshua showed you. Remember at the end of the day, your faith is what matters. Yeshua is Who matters. He will help you.
Welcome to the family.
Psalm 133
הנה מה טוב ומה נעים
שבת אחים גם יחד
Hine ma tov uma nayim shevet achim gam yachad.
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity.
"Praised be Adonai, Father of Yeshua the Messiah, compassionate Father, Adonai of all encouragement and comfort; who encourages us in all our trials, so that we can encourage others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement we ourselves have received from Adonai.
For just as the Messiah's sufferings overflow into us, so through the Messiah our encouragement also overflows." -Second letter to the congregation at Corinth 1:3-5
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