Who Are Messianic Jews?
Messianic Jews (Jewish believers in Yeshua) have been around since the time of Messiah. However, it wasn’t until recently that Messianic Jews have become visible to the world. We live in two worlds, affirming our ongoing relationship with the greater Jewish community and our relationship with the larger body of the Messiah.
We believe that a Jew who accepts Messiah Yeshua as Lord and Savior does not lose his or her Jewishness. Yeshua and His early disciples lived very Jewish lives, and we are working together to preserve our Jewish identity. We encourage Jewish believers to remain a part of God’s call to and preservation of Israel.
As Messianic Jews we experience life in both the church and Jewish settings. We express our faith as believers in Messiah by celebrating Brit Milah (circumcision), Bar and Bat Mitzvah, weddings and baptisms, and we celebrate all Jewish holidays from Passover to Purim to Sukkot.
We take the good news of Messiah “to the Jew first and then to Gentile” (Romans 1:16). We are extremely grateful for the non-Jewish people who have joined with us to help shoulder the burden for Israel’s restoration and salvation. We remain one in the Spirit, for there is no spiritual difference between the Jew and the Gentile.