Shalom Macon: Messianic Jewish Teachings

Israel has been “ruled” by a diverse cast of characters throughout history. Many empires have declared ownership of the land, but one people has a legal claim to it, politically and biblically. Who might you think that would be? Take a listen and share this message with others.

The expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael is a difficult read. Why do we need to know all the details of this event? Why does God allow Sarah to separate them from Abraham? What does this story have to do with Arab-Israeli relations today? This message offers some provocative answers for these questions.

It was inevitable that some, maybe much of the world would begin to see Israel negatively as this war has continued. It’s always this way. But the turning tide shares much in common with the antisemitism and hatred of Jewish people that we hoped had died with the Nazis. It’s imperative that the facts in this war are discussed and shared. This message intends to prepare you to be an informed advocate for Israel and the Jewish people.

The Torah says that during the days of Noah, the world became corrupt and was filled with … hamas. Yes - Hamas. Our Torah portion addresses our present situation and give us answers if we look deep enough. Let's take a look at this ancient foe and see what steps we can take to overcome it together.

Anyone who has even the slightest connection to Israel is reeling from the recent horrific attacks. For those who are strongly connected, there’s a chance that anger and even hatred are parts of these emotions. Is that okay? Should we feel bad about our emotional response to the hatred that others have shown? How do we deal with these negative emotions in light of our mission and calling as children of God and disciples of Yeshua? Join Shalom Macon Live! at 11am EST every Saturday (Shabbat) for uplifting Worship Music and Teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/shalommacon If you get value from our work, please consider Supporting Shalom Macon https://www.shalomacon.org/give -- Ways to Support Shalom Macon -- Our Website | https://www.shalomacon.org/give Tithe.ly | https://tithe.ly/give?c=329563 PayPal | [email protected] Text "GIVE" to (706) 739-5990 God provides for the work of Shalom Macon through the giving of those who benefit from that work and in turn, give generously to allow it to continue. Whether you are an in-person or virtual member, your support is vital to sharing the message.

How high can the walls of your sukkah be? It’s an actual discussion we find in rabbinic literature. Our first response might be, “Who cares?!” As we close out the fall holidays, this message investigates what this seemingly trivial argument can reveal to us about ourselves.

The most famous part of the Sukkot celebration has to do with the sukkah, the temporary dwelling. But there is another component of the holiday which is mentioned even before God commands us to dwell in Sukkot. It called the arba minim, the four kinds, and it has a lot to say about you, your heart, and your joy. We’ll investigate that story in this teaching.

It’s Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return. One last step remains on the repentance road we’ve been walking—one last rock to confront, and then we can look to tie the knot with our Father and our King. You need to hear this message to understand!

On Rosh Hashanah, we simultaneously meet regret and hope with the sound of the shofar. Both are powerfully pointing us to be the people God intends us to be.

We’ve walked the Repentance Road for 4 weeks in this series. Hopefully, we’ve learned the steps to take, prepared for the challenges ahead, and set our hearts and minds on being transformed during the upcoming High Holidays. In this conclusion, Rabbi Damian shares a powerful action step for us all to take as we enter the gates of repentance on Rosh Hashanah.

Is forgiveness a part of repentance? If I’ve been wronged, and no one has apologized, how can I be expected to repent? When we see repentance for what it really is, a turning, forgiveness fits within it. When we decide to turn, we see the true power and freedom of forgiveness in our lives.

There are 4 steps to repentance. We’ve covered the first three, but the fourth part is considered the most important, the commanded component — confession. But why? What’s happening when we confess our transgression? What does “I’m sorry” really accomplish?

The season of repentance is in full swing now. The month of Elul brings our focus to repentance and positive change. Sounds great, but how do we do it? How do we succeed?

Press on, make progress, don’t look back. These are common themes in the teaching at Shalom Macon. But there is a time to look back and do some serious soul searching. That time is starting very soon, as we begin our journey through Elul and enter the fall festivals, the High Holidays. It starts with seeing the path, so let’s get started!

Last week we talked about the value of teaching through repetition. This week we are connecting the Promised Land to our obedience. The Promised Land produces fruit if properly tended… but obedience to God is directly tied to its productivity. You may be asking, what does The Land have to do with learning lessons 101 times? And what does that have to do with us? This is what we will discuss in this lesson.

Hillel said, “One who reviews his studies one hundred times is not comparable to one who reviews his studies one hundred and one times.” What does this mean? Judaism is a faith of repetition: Shabbat every week, the festivals every year, prayers every day. Why? What is the value of teaching through repetition? Let's learn this together.

The last two teachings have given us a better understanding of the purpose of tests/trials and how our response to them can either open up space for God to move on our behalf or cause us to repeat the same trials over and over. This final message is focused on turning God's interventions into milestones that will help navigate us to our ultimate reward.

In our last message, we talked about the purpose of tests and trials. Now that we know the purpose, we need to figure out how to navigate them. This requires hard work. But if you want to break out of the endless loop of trials and testing that you’re currently in, then you need to learn how to pass your test and “level up” for greater things that God has for you. You can definitely do it, but you’ll never know if you’re not aware of what the Lord is trying to tell you.

Life has its twists and turns and is constantly full of surprises. We all have to endure tests and trials to various degrees. Are they an attempt to destroy us or is there a greater purpose they serve? How are we supposed to stay focused on the spiritual side of life when things are falling apart all around us? Part one of this series takes a look at trials and their purpose in each of our lives.

We all want to be “happy.” In the last three parts of this series, Rabbi Damian taught you practical, biblical ways to work toward this goal in your life. This concluding episode brings it all together with the most important components of a happy, content life and challenges you to consider—and possibly change—“who you are listening to.”

Korach provides us with a perfect example of what NOT to do if we expect to be content in this life. Entitlement, lack of humility, and comparison are all fatal flaws in his attitude. It’s what he’s missing that makes the biggest difference. We’ll explore some connections and make life-changing applications in this message.

In Part 1, we learned about not letting the grumblers and complainers get us down. But there’s a more important part of this battle that needs to be explored. You must become the master of your own thinking. Here’s how to do it.

The children of Israel were headed for the Land. The goal was about to be realized. All was going well and then… the complaining. In hindsight, we know the outcome. The negative chatter derailed the mission and the hope. Poor Israel, right? Well, we’re just as vulnerable. Who are you listening to?

Judaism asks questions. Even in things that are presumed to be good and holy. We ask questions to understand and apply. The Nazirite vow is no exception. It’s described as a good thing in Torah, how could there be any other way to view it?! We’ll investigate the discussion that has occurred through the ages and find a modern application along the way.

Is Shavuot really the time of the giving of the Torah? We examine the Torah to see what it say explicitly about the holiday, what the rabbis have created, and where to find the most significant evidence behind the connection of Torah and the Festival of Shavuot.

Part 4 of "He Died That I Might Live…" concludes the series by putting practical application to what we have learned in the last three sessions: How now shall we live?

The Omer controversy seems completely irrelevant to our lives in 2023. But digging beneath the argument itself, we discover something amazing about freedom. This Shavuot message takes a concluding look at the omer, the manna, and the loaves of Shavuot to point us to happiness in our lives.

Counting the Omer is controversial. This argument goes way back, too. Sadducees (along with others like them) were fighting this out with the Pharisees in Yeshua’s time. Amazingly, it still goes on. We’ll learn here about the argument, some evidence for a position, and lay the groundwork for an upcoming Shavuot message that will hit home for us all.

You shall count. 49 days of counting. Sickle to grain. Waving an offering. It’s omer time again. But why? What does this mean for me? This message brings some revelation and perspective that should help.

The biblical festivals in Leviticus 23 are often called the Jewish holidays, but the text clearly identifies them as God’s appointed times. So whose are they? The Lord’s or the Jewish people’s? Of course, the Jewish answer is “Yes”. This teaching explores the implication for what this means.

Join Darren & Sabrina Huckey as they share about the recent Shalom Macon Israel Tour and the spiritual lessons they took away from their experience as Messianic Gentiles in the Land of the Jewish People.

Tzaraat, or biblical leprosy, is a bizarre disease of many different forms. It infects houses, furniture, clothes, and people… what is it? Why did the Torah have the priesthood diagnose and treat this instead of the physicians? Why do the Torah and Apostolic Writings use the words “purified” or “cleansed” instead of “healed” when someone is cured from it? And what possible application does this have for us today?

We often assume we understand the atoning work of Yeshua. But we might have some misunderstanding. Part 3 of this series explains an important function of blood as it relates to covenant and atonement, and connects it powerfully to the work of our Messiah.

Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. It’s a foundational thought for many believers, drawn from Hebrews 9. Is that true? We’ll answer that question in this teaching.

This is the introduction to a short and powerful series on sacrifices, the blood of forgiveness, and the work of Messiah Yeshua.

In the midst of one of the most exciting and eventful portions in the Torah, we find a couple brief references to the Shabbat. Why does the Sabbath deserve any attention in this parsha? Turns out it’s one of the most important lessons God is teaching us here.

The Bible is about God. But curiously, the mention of God is starkly absent in the book of Esther. Was this removed from the text as the Septuagint translation seems to suggest? Or is there a deeper lesson we are supposed to be learning from the intentional absence of God's overt presence?

God gave specific instructions for the meeting place He desired His people to build. Very specific! So specific that many people gloss over or skip these “Tabernacle” chapters all together. Would God spend so much time explaining something that had no value? Of course not, but what is the value, especially today? Let’s find out together.

This week's Torah portion presents a bit of a problem. God had just brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt and released them from slavery to Pharaoh. Yet our current Torah portion opens with God giving them instructions on how to handle their slaves. How do we reconcile these two seemingly opposing concepts in the framework of God's goodness and mercy?

In parsha Yitro, Moses learns a valuable lessons about leadership and delegation from an unlikely source — his Midianite father-in-law, Jethro. But through this, Moses teaches us an even more important lesson about humility and how to become wise in this life.

Birthday For Trees - Part 2: Application by Shalom Macon - Messianic Jewish Teaching

Few people know that Judaism celebrates a new year for trees called Tu Bishvat. The next logical question many would ask is, “Why?!” It all starts with Torah, but there are many beautiful lessons we can glean from this special day. We’ll discuss them in this two-part teaching.

Last week was Moses' fear. This week, it’s his failure. But you might say, “Moses didn’t fail!” We can say that because we know the end of the story. But along the way, Moses clearly struggled and his persistence teaches lessons about what it takes to succeed when things don’t go our way.

Moses is the Torah’s great hero. His story begins this week in Parsha Shemot. But Moses’ hero journey does not seem to get off to a great start. Between arguing with God about why he can’t do it and then failing to convince Pharaoh to let Israel go, Moses seems destined for failure. He has some lessons to learn and some hard steps to take on the way to his status as hero. His journey though this is a lesson for us all in conquering fear and failure.

In this closing portion of Genesis, Joseph again demonstrates his extraordinary character in dealing with his brothers. It’s captured in just one line of Torah, but the lessons are life-changing as we consider our interactions each and every day and how we are all connected in the stories of our lives.

The Midrash connects Amos 9:13—"the plowman shall overtake the reaper"—with Judah's confrontation of Joseph at the beginning of this week's Torah portion. It sees this encounter as a foreshadowing of the World To Come with Judah representing the plowman and Joseph being the reaper. How does this work and what does it have to do with us? We'll find out together in this message on the Torah portion of Vayigash.

There's a Yiddish expression that says, "Man makes plans and God laughs." While that may not be entirely accurate, we often find that our plans don't always line up with what God has in mind. The straight path toward what we perceive as our goal often winds around the forest and climbs through valleys and over mountains before ever reaching sight of that goal. Joseph's life was the perfect example of life taking unexpected turns. But yet, through it all he was able to give God glory. How? We'll discuss in this message on the Torah portion of Mikeitz.

How could an unmarried woman who dresses up as a prostitute and seduces a man in order to get pregnant be thought of as acting righteously? The story of Tamar and Judah certainly raises some questions that we’ll consider in this message.

The Jacob and Esau conflict reaches its climax in Vayishlach. Why did Jacob cross the Jabbok ford? What’s up with the pugilistic angel? A unique consideration on Jacob’s wrestling match offers some incredible insight into our own daily struggles.

Situations arise in life that create a dilemma for us — "Should I stay or should I go?" In other words, do I sit still and wait on God to move or should I take an action to get things going? We know the story of “the deception” involving Jacob. But who was actually behind the decision to take action? Was it a good move? What if it hadn’t been done? Behind the answer to those questions is an application for our lives that we’ll uncover in this teaching.