Community: FAQs

When we say ‘we’ are a community, something must be visible and communicable. This is true of ideas in general. It is not enough that ideas exist, but when the ideas about God and us and Yeshua are all merged, we as a people together make such an idea into a tangible reality for others to note and with whom others can speak.

This page and its questions (and answers!) will be expanding, so please keep checking back.

What is a Jew for Jesus?

A Messianic Jew, or a Jew for Jesus, is a Jewish person who has come to believe that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is the Messiah of the Jewish people and Saviour of the world. Sometimes the organization is what is in view (Jews for Jesus) and sometimes it’s merely a title of a person who believes something. Doesn’t that make you a non-Jew? Not at all! Jews who eat pork or who disregard the Sabbath are still Jews, and many Messianic Jews keep kosher and keep the Sabbath laws, so who is deciding who is in and who is out?

Do I have to be Jewish to belong?

No, the Jewish people are called to be a ‘light to the nations’ and thus we have to include Gentiles as well. That’s certainly true of our gatherings and of our relationships with others. For integrity of terms, we still only use ‘Jews for Jesus’ to describe those of us who are born Jewish.

If Messiah was supposed to bring peace and there isn’t peace on earth, how can you still call Jesus the Messiah?

Much of what we call ‘peace’ is really only the absence of conflict. Check out this answer about peace. Also, if Messiah came to establish peace by crushing His enemies, and we were at that time unredeemed, then by definition, we would have been His enemies, and thus... crushed. So forensically, God had to deal with our sins first, and then He can return to earth to establish His kingdom by the establishment of Jesus’ throne. He knows how to deal with things in order.

Aren’t you just Christians after all?

Being Christian to many people is simply an identifier like being Irish or Italian. But a Messianic person is someone who has made a decision to follow Yeshua as Messiah and Lord. To be sure, the same word ‘anointed’ is translated into Greek as christos and into Hebrew as messiah. But even though the word etymologically means the same thing, the concepts are often distinct.

Where can my son be circumcised?

Most pediatricians will know a doctor in the area who can perform this Jewish rite for the newborn on the eighth day.

Do you celebrate holidays together?

Yes, many Jewish holidays like Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Hanukkah are well celebrated together. You would be invited to any of these public gatherings.

Do I have to pay dues?

Not at all. We have no assessments, and all donations are of a person’s own free will.

Where will we be buried?

We have a burial ground allotted to Messianic people in Woronora Cemetery in Sutherland (Sydney). Individuals make their own arrangements with Woronora directly.

Are public meetings conducted in Hebrew?

Some of the conversation, some of the preaching, some of the prayers will be in Hebrew, yes. But be sure that the vast majority of the meetings will be in English, as we don’t want anyone to be left out.

What does it cost to join?

Not a thing, but everything you have! Yeshua paid everything for you so you could be born again and have eternal life. And as a result, you cannot pay anything to deserve credit for what you are then given. And at the same time, you are expected to serve Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Be thankful!